


living out of suitcases

by asteronomic



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Europe, M/M, Travel, akashi and furi are there at the beginning, and kise cameos too, v sappy as usual, youth hostelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-10 18:10:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4402094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asteronomic/pseuds/asteronomic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p></p><blockquote>
  <p>"We could get Akashi to do pretty much anything, with the help of Furihata,” says Kazunari.<br/></p>
</blockquote>It all starts when Shintarou mentions how long it's been since he truly left the office.
            </blockquote>





	living out of suitcases

It all starts when Shintarou mentions how he hasn’t been on holiday in years. **  
**

They’re at Akashi and Furihata’s apartment for dinner, and Furihata’s talking enthusiastically about their recent ski trip to Switzerland, Akashi nodding and occasionally contributing to his story. Kazunari listens eagerly, asking questions in all the right places with wide eyes, while Shintarou listens in silence.

“The little mountain villages are so amazing, honestly, and the locals were so nice to us,” Furihata enthuses. “Sei speaks better French than anyone I know, so I wasn’t of much use, but it was really stunning.”

“I wouldn’t say you weren’t of use, Kouki, you were very helpful when I wasn’t wearing enough layers on the mountain,” Akashi says with a smile. “Your kisses really warm me up, in all honesty.”

“You know, I haven’t been skiing in years,” says Shintarou suddenly. “I haven’t been on holiday since I left university.”

Kazunari nods. “Same, now I think about it. I went to the beach for a week after my last exams, but I just haven’t had time. I guess it’s because we’ve been working all the time, and our breaks are always spent doing family things, so we never really leave the office.”

Furihata looks at Akashi. “ _Sei_ ,” he says. “Sei, what the _hell_.”

“They never asked for specific holidays!” Akashi says quickly. “You’re very welcome to take a holiday, of course, I wasn’t aware it had been so long.”  


Shintarou and Kazunari leave the Akashi-Furihata residence that evening with similarly smug faces and a two-months of paid leave, the longest break either of them have had since they were students. Furihata had insisted that Akashi give his marketing and financial directors a paid break, and the CEO could do nothing but nod helplessly in agreement.

“We could get Akashi to do pretty much anything, with the help of Furihata,” says Kazunari. “Dear old Sei is so far up Furihata’s ass that he’ll do anything for him. Furihata Kouki is possibly one of the most powerful men in Japan at this moment.”

“We could get him to fire Kise,” Shintarou adds.  


“Rude, Shin-chan! That is _not_ what this power is to be used for. Honestly, if Kise was gone, who would I get expensive Italian shirts from?”

_ _

Kazunari stretches, his fingertips only brushing the cupboard handle. It’s frustrating--he’s so close, yet he’s just two centimetres too short to reach the handle properly. _Shin-chan could reach it_ , he thinks bitterly. 

But Shin-chan’s not here. Shin-chan’s at his parents’ house, because _apparently_ it’s _‘good manners’_ to inform your family before you leave the country for two months.

Kazunari hasn’t bothered; he called his parents a few weeks ago to tell them he’d be out of the country for a while. They’re used to it, anyway--he goes on enough business trips that Kazunari leaving Japan for a two-month long tour of Europe is more of a relief than anything else. But things are always so much more _formal_ in the Midorima household. 

The door to their apartment clicks open, and Kazunari gives up on trying to reach the medicine cabinet in favour of wrapping himself around his boyfriend. 

“Shin- _chan_ ,” he whines. “I can’t _believe_ you used the excuse of telling your parents to get out of packing, I’ve been doing all the work myself! And I can’t reach the medicine cupboard, and I _know_ I’m going to forget painkillers and then regret it when I have a hangover. And what do I even pack? Like, I’ve never been to Europe, I don’t even know what the weather’s going to be like? Shin-chan, I literally cannot believe you left me at such a crucial point in time.”

Shintarou blinks, absently stroking Kazunari’s hair. “Kazu, I left you for _two hours_ , why does our apartment look like Kise’s office?”

“You left me to pack! You can’t fool me, Shin-chan, I _know_ you hate packing and you’re just trying to get out of it! I _know_ ,” says Kazunari, looking at him with wide eyes, “I know _all_ your secrets, Midorima Shintarou.”

“Prepostorous, I would do nothing of the sort,” Shintarou says in between pressing kisses to Kazunari’s cheeks and hair. “Never have I heard such utter rubbish.”

_ _

Europe is pleasantly warm, to answer Kazunari’s question.

It’s the twenty-seventh of May when they arrive at the Charles de Gaulles airport in Paris, and Kazunari knows this because he’s been counting down the days for _weeks_. They’re doing it the way they would have done in university, had they had the money; their worldly goods are all crammed into large backpacks, and their reservation is not at a five-star hotel, but a five-star youth hostel. They take the Metro into the centre of Paris, and almost get lost in the labyrinth.

(“Youth hostelling, Shintarou? _Youth hostelling?_ Do I not pay you sufficiently? Is this a surreptitious insinuation that I need to increase your salary? I do apologise if that is the case-- _youth hostelling?_ ”

“Kazunari said I should ‘loosen up’ a little more, and I always have wanted to see Europe properly, instead of the way it’s presented to foreign tourists. Besides, there are beautiful youth hostels in some of these cities.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”)

Kazunari pushes his sunglasses on top of his hair as he stretches and yawns. It’s not as hot as he expected; Paris is warm, but not stifling or really even uncomfortable. France is beautiful, he decides as he looks at the old, elegant buildings as they walk past, but he has no idea what any of the words they’re saying mean.

“French is a strange language,” he remarks. “It sounds completely different to how it sounded when I tried to learn some on my phone.”

“Mmm,” says Shintarou. “I can only say a few phrases, myself.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“‘Parlez-vous espagnol?’, ‘J’aime la natation’, and ‘Tes yeux sont comme la lune--brillantes, claires et vraiment intrigantes.’”

Kazunari stares at him. “Shin-chan, those are literally the three most unhelpful phrases you could possibly have memorised.”

“Let’s just hope they speak English, then,” says Shintarou, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and ignoring Kazunari’s mutter of _but Shin-chan, you don’t really speak English, either._

_ _

Paris is a blur of sightseeing and nice restaurants. They kiss on the top of the Eiffel Tower, and Kazunari asks an American tourist to take a photo of them together. It’s quite horrifically cliche, but even Shintarou finds himself enjoying the cheesy romance of it all. 

(“Kazu, what are you doing?” Shintarou asks when he sees Kazunari with a black beret in hand.

“This will totally suit you, Shin-chan! I nearly got a red one, but then I remembered that time you wore a red coat, and I just--nah. But here, put this on!” Kazunari doesn’t wait for him to reply, but instead puts the hat on his head and takes a photo. “Beautiful, Shin-chan,” he says, and kisses him.)

After Paris, they take a train into Belgium. They spend three days in Brussels, and then four in Amsterdam, where they get another iconic picture--this time, they’re kissing on a canal boat. Kazunari takes a moment to mock John Green, and a teenage girl nearby gives him a glare fiercer than Akashi Seijuurou’s. Shintarou reprimands him, but Kazunari laughs and tells him it was worth it.

From the Netherlands, they go to Germany, and Kazunari insists on visiting the world’s biggest wooden rollercoaster. Shintarou finds out he’s afraid of rollercoasters, and Kazunari finds out he loves Black Forest gateaux. They begin to check their work inboxes less frequently, and Shintarou even goes so far as to turn his phone off for a day. (“Shin-chan, I’m so proud of you!” exclaims Kazunari, finding himself unable to do anything more than put his on flight mode.)

They travel through Germany to Switzerland, and Shintarou teaches Kazunari how to ski. They eat strawberries dipped in chocolate and hike in the spring sunshine. Shintarou falls in love with the waterfalls, and Kazunari falls in love with the mountain goats, and they both fall in love with each other’s enthusiasm. 

From Switzerland, they go to Italy, and get very, very drunk on expensive wine and happiness. Shintarou insists on going to a concert, so they buy classy Italian suits that they will barely be able to fit in their bags and go out for the night. 

Venice is followed by Vienna, a train journey that has Kazunari sleeping on Shintarou’s shoulder and Shintarou sleeping on Kazunari’s bag. More and more photos are taken, and Kazunari quietly decides that one day, he’s going to live in the mountains with Shin-chan and a very big dog. (Their expensive Italian suits get another moment to shine, as Shintarou is simply unable to pass up the opportunity of seeing a small orchestra perform at a concert hall they visit one afternoon.)

They visit Prague next, and Shintarou’s inner musician continues to sing with joy. They look a little out of place in these ornate concert halls, with their shorts and t-shirts and backpacks and (for Kazunari more than Shintarou) newly tanned legs. Still, Shintarou eagerly goes on, enthusing to his boyfriend about the history and architecture, while Kazunari listens happily and takes an average of six photos each minute. 

(“I nearly came to school here,” mentions Shintarou at one point. 

“What, really?” Kazunari asks, astonished. “How come?”

“My parents wanted me to study music here,” he replies wistfully. “I’m glad I didn’t, though.”

“Me too, I wouldn’t have met you if you did.”)

They go back through Germany to Denmark, and once again spend the long train journey sleeping peacefully on one another. Copenhagen is stunning, they soon realise, and a world away from anything they’ve seen before. Kazunari insists they do something that isn’t music related (“Don’t get me wrong, Shin-chan, I love the concert halls and the history behind them, it’s just that I think we should take a break from visiting them every other day, y’know?”) and decides that now is as good a time as ever to buy cheap, touristy souvenirs. They go into a shop looking like a average pair of tourists, and walk out with mermaid keyrings and Danish flags hanging from every zip on their bags, and Kazunari sports a “I Bike Copenhagen” t-shirt. Shintarou is wearing a somewhat disgruntled expression and a large, red and white hat. (“I take it all back, Shin-chan, r-red really suits you,” Kazunari says in between laughs. Shintarou stares dully back at him, only causing Kazunari to laugh harder.)

After Denmark, they visit Sweden, and then Norway. By the time they’ve reached Oslo, they only have four days left until their flight back to Tokyo. They put their new suits to good use again, and eat dinner at a restaurant that Akashi Seijuurou himself would be impressed by, then return to their youth hostel, where their cheap, creaky beds await.

Their flight departs from London Heathrow in three days now, and the flight from Oslo to Edinburgh takes up another half-day. 

Scotland is once again a completely different experience. The city of Edinburgh is beautiful, and both Kazunari and Shintarou feel they could spend hours just staring at the castle in all its prestige.

When they get to London the day after, with one day and an evening left before they return to Japan, they decide to book themselves into an expensive hotel instead of the youth hostel they had planned to stay in. (“We’ve stayed in hostels for the past two months, it’s not as if we’re really cutting any corners,” says Shintarou, as if to reassure himself.) They can’t really find the energy to go out for a meal, so order room service and swear to eat out the day after.

It’s been a phenomenal two months, they agree.

_ _

Sitting on the banks of the Thames, they lace their fingers together and rest on their backpacks. Kazunari could probably fall asleep there and then, and he’s certainly drifting that way when Shintarou catches his attention.  

“Kazu,” he says quietly. “Kazu.”

“Mmm?”

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?”  
  


Kazunari smiles sleepily, squeezing Shintarou’s hand. “You might’ve mentioned it once or twice.”

“I love you a lot, Kazu. So much.” His tone is sincere, and Kazunari knows he means every word of it.

“I love you too, Shin-chan. So, so much.”

_ _

They return to the office with light shoulders and tanned skin. Everything is in a disarray--or at least, it’s not quite how it’s meant to be, which usually equates to disarray in both of their minds. They’re welcomed back like some kind of heroes, though, and Kazunari never thought he’d be so glad to see his office in his life. 

“Wow, nice suit, Takaocchi!” Kise says, his eyes wide. “You’re both so tanned, I didn’t even know Midorimacchi could tan.”

Shintarou’s eyebrow twitches, and Kazunari laughs.

“Would you like to see some pictures?”

**Author's Note:**

> hhhhh i'm not rly happy w/ this it just doesn't flow right and it's so obvious which cities i've actually been to bc idk how to describe the rest :(  
> shin-chan's french translated: "'Do you speak Spanish?', 'I like swimming', and 'Your eyes are like the moon--bright, clear, and truly intriguing.'" (sorry if its incorrect at all i didn't check it)  
> kazu's copenhagen shirt is [here](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=copenhagen+t+shirt&rlz=1CAASUD_enGB631GB631&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=657&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIudLZ--TvxgIVxbLbCh1i_Qan#tbm=isch&q=copenhagen+shirt&imgrc=miRnauzeJSk1uM%3A) and shin-chan's hat is [here](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=copenhagen+hat&rlz=1CAASUD_enGB631GB631&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=657&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAmoVChMIoMG74-XvxgIVLJrbCh1PQQce#tbm=isch&q=denmark+hat&imgrc=JJ1L_dO8iXQ0qM%3A)


End file.
